When It's Lamp Lighting Time in the Valley

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When It's Lamp Lighting Time in the Valley is a 1933 country ballad to a waltz melody. The song was a hit by The Vagabonds. The song text is about one who longs for his mother who is far away in a valley. Marty Robbins later covered the song. Other singers who has recorded the song include Tex Ritter and Wayne King.

[edit] Christmas song

When Nils Hellström wrote a text in Swedish in 1935, its text was changed a lot and the song was turned into a Christmas song: "När ljusen tändas där hemma". The lamp in the text in English was replaced by candles. "När ljusen tändas därhemma" ("When the candles of home are lit)", which describes an old man/woman sitting, when the darkness of the evening arrives, and dreaming of his/her childhood and old home, became a popular Christmas song in Sweden during the 1930s and 1940s. It's not mentioned in the song text, but many people associate the song with the emigration from Sweden to the USA during the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century and Sweden being the state were the childhood and home is. The word Christmas is never mentioned in the song text, but the word "ljus", which is Swedish for light/candle, is strongly associated with Advent and Christmas in Sweden. In English, the song has 4 verses, and 2 in Swedish. The song has also got lyrics in Norwegian, as "Når lysene tennes der hjemme" and Finnish, as "Kodin kynttilät". The song has also been translated into other languages, with other themes.

When the Swedish "dansband", pop- and country singer Kikki Danielsson covered the Swedish language version of the song on her 1988 Christmas album "Min barndoms jular", the text was changed a little, and she sang about being "lonely" instead of "old". The second verse opening lyrics "Jag är gammal och sitter och drömmer om min barndom som snabbt rann förbi" ("I am old and sitting and dreaming of my childhood, which fast passed") was replaced with the lyrics "Jag är ensam och sitter och drömmer om min barndom som snabbt rann förbi" ("I am alone and sitting and dreaming of my childhood, which fast passed").